Today is not just the last day for students throughout the Benicia Unified School District. It is also the last day for many teachers who have served the district for a long time. Glenn Walp, who left an impact on the musically inclined youth as Benicia Middle School’s music teacher and band director, has played his final notes as an educator.

“The time and the years of experience I put in are adding up to the right thing,” he said of his retirement.

Walp first became drawn to music at the age of 4 when he saw a violinist perform on his family’s black and white TV.

“I asked my mom, ‘Could I do that?’” he said. “She said, ‘No.’ I had to wait until I was 7. On my 7th birthday, I took my first piano lesson and have been involved in music ever since.”

“Sometimes I think having my parents make me wait was a good thing,” he said. “It whetted my appetite a little bit more.”

Afterwards, Walp became a church organist and accompanist and worked as a rehearsal accompanist at a ballet school in high school. In college, Walp’s major had switched from architecture to business to chemistry.

“I dropped out for four years because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do,” he said.

As an alternative, Walp joined the Navy as a hospital corpsman during the Vietnam War for four years.

“During that time, I figured ‘You have to do what you love to do,’” Walp said. “The thing that I always loved was making music.”

Walp went back to school and earned a piano performance degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara with the goal of being a choir teacher. Instead, he secured a job as band director at Vallejo Junior High School in 1985 by then-principal Wes Matthews.

“He hired me even though I told him I didn’t know how to play trumpets, clarinets or flutes,” Walp said. “He asked me, ‘Are you a good musician?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Can you learn?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Good, you’re hired.’ He took me down to the district office and signed me up.”

Walp said by the time he was hired at Vallejo Junior High, he had been the fifth band director in the last seven years. He ended up holding the position for 14 years.

During the time, Walp had been offered opportunities to take over the music departments at Vallejo High School, Jesse Bethel High School and even Benicia High School. He declined theses offers and instead opted to continue teaching at the middle school level. When the time came to move to another school, he ended up as the band director at Benicia Middle School in 1999.

Walp said a big part of why he chose to teach at the middle school level was because of their youthful vigor.

“The level of energy that middle school kids have is incredible,” he said. “If, as a teacher, I can channel that energy they can accomplish amazing things. I think it’s the time of life where part of the brain grows that can handle the integration of physical things, the dexterity and mental challenges of being a musician. It’s just that perfect time for starting kids off on instruments.”

Walp said a big part of his teaching philosophy was ensuring that all his students achieved growth by the end of the year.

“They’ll play something, and I’ll say, ‘That was good. Here’s how you can make it better,’” he said. “I think music is one of those things where you can strive for perfection and push for it, but I’m not sure it’s always attainable. At this age, there’s always some new technique, some new style, some new way to change a phrase that leads to growth. If kids aren’t growing almost every day they’re in class, then I don’t think I’m doing my job quite right. With beginners, it’s real easy. Everything needs improvement. With my most advanced kids, it’s mostly technique that needs improvement or how to interpret notes to meet the composer’s wishes.”

During Walp’s time as band director, the BMS Viking Band has performed in several band reviews and tournaments, winning several awards along the way. Walp estimates that there are about 400 trophies in the band room and 180 in storage. However, he maintains that the band is more about the performances than the prizes.

“It’s not about the trophies,” Walp said. “It’s about trying to do your best every time you go out.”

Walp said the symphonic band, in particular, has often been mistaken for a high school or college band, a comparison he finds flattering. The Viking Band has also gotten to perform for an Army Reserve unit returning from Iraq, and they received a note of thanks from them. Additionally, the band was invited to perform a conference at the California Music Educators Association’s (CMEA) state conference in 2007. After auditioning, the band was selected to go to the convention in Riverside. Walp is also proud of the effort his students have put in.

“I’m proud of the fact that when we go into a concert competition, we expect to beat the top-rated band,” he said. “It’s that level of expectation that we work on.”

Walp said one of his frustrations in recent years has been the lack of a music program at the elementary schools. Now the district has a teacher for a K-3 music program, which Walp believes will make it easier to feed students into the program at Benicia Middle School.

He also assures that the program will be in capable hands under the direction of new band director Matthew Ferriera. Ferriera has taught music for 10 years at St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley as well as two years at the elementary level in Walnut Creek and has worked with drumline at San Ramon Valley High School as well as a CMEA board member.

“We see each other on the board,” Walp said.

Additionally, Ferriera has also shadowed Walp since he was hired to prepare for his transition.

“He’s gone to our concerts, our festival and parades,” Walp said. “He’s met the Booster board. He’s tried to integrate himself into the program already so that when he comes in in August, he’ll already know what we’ve done in the past.”

Walp said he does not have a lot of plans for retirement apart from catching up on yard work, playing in a jazz band and continuing to be a church musician. Throughout it all, he will miss working with his students.

“I’ll miss making music with them and seeing them grow,” he said. “Just to see the growth they’ve had from Day One up until this final performance is incredible.”

Walp is grateful for the Viking Band Boosters and its many presidents, from Piet Chini to John Ham.

“I’ve enjoyed so much support from the parents , school administration and other faculty members,” he said. “The parent organization is amazing. There’s absolutely no way we could do or accomplish what we do without the parents of Benicia Middle School kids.”